Leftovers: Missouri Valley Football Conference media day

The Missouri Valley Football Conference on Tuesday held its annual media day. It used to be an in-person event; now it's conducted via teleconference.

Here are some of the worthwhile things that were said:

Illinois State: The Redbirds have new coordinators. The offensive guy is Kurt Beathard, son of longtime NFL executive Bobby Beathard.
The team has a couple of impact-caliber transfers, including a quarterback from Indiana and a safety/linebacker from Oregon. Also, a web site graded ISU as having the best incoming recruiting class in the FCS.

Western Illinois: Things are much more settled in Macomb than they were at this time last year. Coach Bob Nielsen is in his second season and 95 percent of the offense returns.
Also, about 80 players participated in spring ball compared to less than 60 the year before.

Northern Iowa: Coach Mark Farley said that his son, standout linebacker Jake Farley, had some setbacks in a return from injury and remains a work in progress.
UNI used two quarterbacks last season due to injury, and Farley has yet to proclaim a starter for the opener – the first of two FBS games in a row.

Indiana State: Second-year coach Mike Sanford on being picked last in the league: "We're not getting a whole lot of respect, and I'm realistic about that – we're realistic about that. We have a lot to prove."
Connor Underwood is one of the Sycamores top returning players, and he'll play a combination of end and outside linebacker this season rather than playing solely on the line.

Youngstown State: The Penguins are looking to replace four-year starting quarterback Kurt Hess, while looking to make the playoffs after narrowing missing out the last two seasons.
They have time to work things out, hosting two non-scholarship teams and one partially funded team after the opener at Illinois.

Missouri State: The Bears boast three first-team all-league preseason picks on the offensive line – and their quarterback returns. Still, coach Terry Allen said that keeping electric running back Ryan Heaston healthy will be key. He's played in just seven games over two seasons.

South Dakota: After finishing 2013 with no healthy running backs, USD starts 2014 with a handful ready to contend for carries.
Defensively, coach Joe Glenn dubbed linebacker Keyon Lage as the new "bell cow." The Washington High grad was not included in the all-league selections.

North Dakota State: New coach Chris Klieman pointed to the defensive line as the area hit hardest by graduation. Still, he doesn't think there's a lack of talent.
"A lot of people think the cupboard is dry here," he said. "Well, there's a number of kids that played in a lot of those games. The biggest difference for us is a lot of those young kids are going to have to play."

Southern Illinois: The Salukis lost four assistants in the offseason, leading to several new hires and to coach Dale Lennon taking over as defensive coordinator. Those moves happened before spring ball, allowing for some settling in time.
Also, the club has three guys vying to be the quarterback.

South Dakota State: Coach John Stiegelmeier broke the news that returning starters linebacker Charles Elmore and offensive lineman Mike Shoff are done for the season due to surgeries. Both were hurt at times in 2013.
As for possible replacements: Dallas Brown, Drew Kreutzfeldt and maybe a true freshman will move up the depth chart at SAM linebacker, while Andrew Mueller, Dylan Seiter and Taylor Bloom are next in line at right guard.

In general: Most of the coaches volunteered that they liked the new summer rules, that they're probably ahead of the game because of them.
Also, commissioner Patty Viverito said that, "We're probably a year away from pretty broad use of replay – not just in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, but in all of FCS."

Terry Vandrovec also posts regular updates on his Twitter page.